Myer Classic

Run at Flemington on the same day as the Victoria Derby, the Myer Classic is a race for fillies and mares of three years old and upwards. A Group 1 race, it is weight for age and is run over 1,600 metres. Total prize money is $500,000.

Race History

This is a fairly recent race, having first been run in 1988. It has had several changes of name as different sponsors have come and gone, and was originally the VRC The Honda Legend. It has also been known as the VRC Hong Kong Bank Classic, the VRC Hardy Brothers Classic, and the VRC Nestle Peters Classic. Originally, it was a Listed event, but became a Group 3 race in 1995. In 1997, it was elevated to Group 2, and finally became a Group 1 race in 2004.

Generally attracting the best fillies and mares in the country, the Myer Classic is now regarded as the premier event for mares in the Spring Carnival. Two of the races that the entries come from are the Tristarc Stakes, and the Group 2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes. The 2012 winner, Appearance, came via the Tristarc Stakes, although only finishing seventh.

The Myer Classic is one of four Group 1 races on Victoria Derby Day. Punters can also enjoy the Coolmore Stud Stakes, the Mackinnon Stakes and, of course, the Victoria Derby itself.

Many top class horses have won the Myer Classic in recent years, including Typhoon Tracy in 2009, Sacred Choice in 2010, and Hurtle Myrtle in 2011.

So far, no winner of the Myer Classic has gone on to win any of the three biggest races in Australia – the Caulfield Stakes, the Cox Plate, or the Melbourne Cup, but several have enjoyed considerable success, nonetheless. In 2007, Divine Madonna won the race after also being victorious in the Emirates Stakes, while 2009 winner Typhoon Tracy went on to win the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes.

Lead up races

Mares that have run in the Cox Plate as their final lead up to the Myer Classic include Miss Potential who won the Myer Classic in 2004, Lotteria (2005), and Divine Madonna (2007). Older horses also fare well, the six year olds Miss Zoe (2002), Miss Potential (2004), and Lyrical Bid (2006) all winning at that age.

Only a small number of fillies have contested the event in the past, but without success. The best age seems to be the four year olds, nine of them having won out of the last 18 times the race has been run.

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